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Persons of standing recommending London police recruits
(1830-1842)The Metropolitan Police Register of Joiners (MEPO 333/4) lists policemen joining the force through to 31 December 1842 (to warrant number 19892). The register is alphabetical, in so far as the recruits are listed chronologically grouped under first letter of surname. It is evidently a continuation of a similar earlier register, not closed until its alphabetical sections were filled: consequently, there are no entries in this register for the initial letters N, O, Q, U, V, X, Y or Z; and the sections of this register start at different dates - A 18 April 1840 (warrant number 16894); B 11 December 1830 (5570); C 7 September 1830 (4988); D 27 May 1833 (8445); E 15 December 1838 (14476); F 30 March 1832 (7372); G 1 December 1835 (11,184); H 25 April 1832 (7457); I and J 13 February 1837 (12449); K 2 January 1838 (13457); L 3 October 1834 (9905); M 15 November 1832 (7999); P 4 October 1831 (6869); R 4 September 1837 (13021); S 30 March 1835 (10366); T 6 April 1840 (16829); W 30 December 1833 (9096). The register gives Date of Appointment, Name, Number of Warrant, Cause of Removal from Force (resigned, dismissed, promoted or died), and Date of Removal. Those recruits not formerly in the police, the army, or some government department, were required to provide (normally) at least two letters of recommendation from persons of standing, and details of these are entered on the facing pages: the names in these are indexed here (the police recruits are indexed separately and not included here). Recruits transferred from other forces or rejoining the force did not normally need recommendations - in the latter case, former warrant numbers are given - but some recommendations are from police inspectors, even other constables. Recruits coming from the army sometimes have general military certificates of good conduct, but most often have a letter from their former commanding officer; recruits recommended by government departments (most often the Home Office) similarly have letters from the head of department. But the great majority of the names and addresses in these pages are of respectable citizens having some sort of personal acquaintance with the recruit. Where more than two recommendations were provided, the clerk would only record one or two, with the words 'and others'. Tradesmen are sometimes identified as such by their occupations; there are some gentry. Although the great bulk of these names are from London and the home counties, a scattering are from further afield throughout Britain and Ireland.